Grand Canyon R2R2R

What in the world does that mean? For those of you who are not endurance junkies or insane or promise your wife this for her birthday present, it means hiking the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim back to the South Rim. In less than 24 hours. Total mileage? Depends on which trails you take. We went down South Kaibab (7 miles from trailhead to Colorado River), up North Kaibab (14 miles from Phantom Ranch to trailhead), down North Kaibab (you can figure out that distance.), then up Bright Angel (9.8 miles from Colorado River to trailhead). There is added distance when you factor in the trail to and from Phantom Ranch and the trips to the toilet off the trail, so we'll call it a 45 mile hike that goes a lot of down then a lot of up then a lot of down and then a.......lot.......of........up. But this recap does not start with the hike. It starts with some touristy things.

This is the Hermit's Rest Trailhead. We did NOT hike this trail. I repeat, there is a trail in the GC that we did not hike. Not because we couldn't, because we could have if we wanted to, but because we had to conserve all of our energy for the task at hand. We took the shuttle over there, which was quite nice, but a little stinky with all of those bodies.

Kevin took this picture and told me that he got his mad self portrait skills from JT (Justin Timberlake-and he's not kidding). So I had to try out what I had learned from the person who learned from the master.
Not bad, right?

Friday morning 3:50 am wake up call. Get ready with layers because it was expected to be chilly to start out, which I understand is all relative, but when the starting temp is in the 40s, that's chilly for us. Caught the Hikers Express Shuttle at 5:00 am, which the term "express" should be used loosely here, since it took us 20 minutes to get to the trailhead and we stopped twice. Got to South Kaibab Trail Head. Used the potty. Of course. Took this picture ate 5:30 am and started down, down, down:

You see that wrap thing on my head? I love it. I bought that at the General Store up there because I was concerned for my warmth. The print on it is a trail map of South Kaibab and Bright Angel. It kept my ears pinned to my head so they were nice and cozy. And if you look in my Camelbak you can see the top of my Nalgene bottle and it looks like there is dirty water. Not the case. It is Perpetuem, an endurance athlete drink. Remember this. It saved Kevin.

So we trot down. The BEST thing about the early am is NO MULE TRAINS. None. It's the little things like this that really made a difference. We did see a trio of crazed Asian descent people. They were whooping and had on a floppy shoes and a bottle of water. That looked like the extent of their provisions. We saw them at least three miles down, which is the easy part, and there is no water on the South Kaibab trail. I hope they made it out alive. But maybe they saw us and thought "There go two crazy Americans. They have no survival skills if they need all that stuff to keep them alive." We got to Phantom Ranch in two hours, which is good time. I know it seems like not fast, but we had to stop twice (for me). We ate and used the facilities. There were several people up milling around in the area, but the cafe was not open. Here we are after we refueled:

How many pictures do we have like this? I'm going to say a dozen. On to the North Kaibab! We did not see anyone for almost six miles! And the two people we saw snuck up behind us. I almost had a heart attack. I was worried about getting attacked from behind after Susie told me that the trail is rampant with murderers and rapists (she told me this to discourage me from hiking to the top alone if anything happened to Kevin). We stopped at Cottonwood Campground for food and refill water. It was eerie that there wasn't anyone. This is us in case you have forgotten what we look like when we are hiking:

Hey! Where's me? Oh, that's right. Potty break.

Keep on keepin' on. Up to about this point there is very little incline as it runs along the river. After we get through this campground it starts heading up. I chose to listen to General Conference on my iPod. Which I was very glad that I had that thought because I don't really need motivation music, and besides, I am a little sick of listening to it right now, so I filled my spiritual cup as I drained my physical cup. There was a terrifying moment on the trail. No, I didn't slip off the side. We came across this:
FIRE!!!! In the Grand Canyon!!! One of the Natural Wonders of the World! Oh, wait. There are guys in yellow jackets that seem to be tending the fire. And it is very controlled. Thank heavens! I was worried that I was going to have to activate the emergency system, but more importantly, HOW WERE WE GOING TO GET TO THE TOP OR BACK AGAIN IF THERE WAS A WILDFIRE?!?!?! So, my thoughts were selfish, but glad that this was not a wildfire, but a controlled burn. Keep going.

I was getting a little antsy that we were not moving faster, but I could tell that Kevin was hitting the wall. Hard. And I did not want to push him beyond what he felt he could do. A few times he told me to go on ahead, but I refused to leave him (again, the murderers and rapists might get me), but finally once we past the Supai Tunnel, I agreed and went on ahead. I got to the top at North Kaibab and was met with five hundred flies, and some of them were biting. I was not amused. Especially when I tried to eat something and they wanted to join the party. A young man who was working at the North Rim Lodge was there and was quizzing me about all of the details of the hike that we were taking and how long had we been hiking and how long did it take to get to the river and how could he do it and how long the trails are. Kevin got out and is usually a very friendly person and will talk to anybody, but he barely acknowledged my companion. I knew he was in trouble. Here comes the Perpetuem! I had enjoyed my own earlier, but I gave him the Orange Vanilla flavor, and he said that he felt better instantly! Unfortunately, the water was turned off at the top. And at Supai Tunnel. Which meant that the next source of water was at Cottonwood, which was about seven miles down. Not good. There were a couple of hikers that were at the top that were planning on going down the next day, and they had some spare water, so we "borrowed" (I wasn't planning on returning it, though) some water. Here is us at the top:

If you do a Rim to Rim to Rim, this shot is obligatory as proof that you made it to the other side.

Back down. This part gets tough because your toes have gotten relief from the going up and now you are going back down with a steeper decline. I could feel my right two toes were getting blistered, but kept moving. Here's me by Ribbon Falls:

Two things that you could learn from this shot. #1 Hiking poles are ESSENTIAL. I mean it. They reduce the effort on your legs by 30%. #2 Compression socks are ESSENTIAL. This was the first time I have worn them on a hike and I could tell a difference.

It seemed like everything took FOREVER on this trip. For instance, when on this trail is "The Box" which is the relatively flat section that I talked about that is about eight miles, but it seems like sooooooo much longer. We crossed five bridges that seemed like fifty. Got back to Phantom Ranch at 8 pm, which we were worried that the cafe would not be open, but it was and it was rockin' in there! People were still having a good time. We needed a break and something new to eat so we each got a bagel with cream cheese. We saw a ring tailed cat and a fox when we were leaving. There is no picture of us this time. We were beat and had.......nine.......uphill.......miles.....to .........go. And it was dark, which really shifted our perspective because we didn't have the visual cues to let us know how far we had gone. And there were spiders. Toads. And scorpions on the trail. Kevin told me later that he tried to step on all of the spiders because he was in front and didn't want me to freak out, but after a while he became too tired to even do that. I didn't care about the spiders. Or the scorpions. Because now, all I could think about was the mountain lion that I was SURE was stalking us. I even turned around a few times, sure that I would see eyes shining in my headlamp. We did see a lone doe on the trail. It became a mental challenge, because I kept thinking about taking a shower and getting into bed. So I started counting in my head. I counted to 100, and then when I got to 100, that was one, and I told myself that we would get to Indian Garden by the time I had 32 sets of 100. I only got to 26! I was so happy. Kevin laid down at Indian Gardens. I did not. I was not too tired to remember the spiders and scorpions. He asked me to take this picture:

He said he wanted a picture of him for the kids in case he didn't make it out alive. So once we pushed on, I kept thinking about how selfish I was for asking my husband to do this with me. I had to stop that, so I counted again. The moon was full so it helped light the way. I was so happy when we got to the 3 Mile Resthouse! Only three miles to go! We still had three miles to go? Ugh.

Onward. Now instead of counting, I tried predicting how far we had gone and kept saying in my head: "We've only got 2.9 miles to go, we've only got 2.9 miles to go" and then when I thought we had gone a tenth of a mile, I changed it to "We've only got 2.8 miles to go" etc, but I hoped that I was underestimating how far we had gone, and when we came up to the 1.5 miles resthouse and I had in my head that we still had 2 miles to the top, I was elated! Kevin saw the emergency call box and commented that it looked really good right then. Still going up. This part is such a mental endurance challenge that I can't even describe it. You know you have to keep going because you can't pull off to the side of the road and motion to the medical response team that you're feeling lousy, you have to get out! And I could NOT have done it without Kevin, nor would I have wanted to, despite the fact that I thought he may not make it. But when we saw the sign for the Bright Angel Trailhead, I don't think I have ever had that much relief or love for my husband. WE DID IT!!!! Truly an amazing bonding experience. And here we are at 0230 in the am:

The looks on our faces do not relay the exhilaration that we had. Must be the tiredness.

We got back to our room and surveyed the damage, which was great. I had chaffing on my shoulders from my pack, two blisters on one foot, two toenails sure to go, sore backside, but that shower. That shower! And then the bed. And the sleeping in. Nice.

We were beat up, battered, but definitely closer as a couple, so for that, the experience was truly once in a lifetime. That is, until Kevin told me three days after the hike that he would do it again. Wh-aa-at? Yep. He says he'll do it again and wanted to know if I would to. Of course I would, dear.

P.S. Siblings: This trip is NOT the one that we will be taking for my 40th birthday. Mom said there was no way she was going to allow it. Ours will be the much easier 17 mile hike.

What Have the Partridges Been Doing?

That is what you are all wondering. I will provide the answer in a form of pictures. This is what the Super Bowl is all about.

Chloe got braces. She can thank her mom for that. Genetics. Hey. you can't win them all.

Trampoline providing hours of entertainment that usually ends with someone getting bumped.

I have been asked by the bloggers at The Cutest Blog on the Block to please move my blog to The Most Boring Blog on the Block. Even bloggers have their standards.

Accessories Included

Olivia loves to accessorize. I don't know where she gets it from. Ever since she was little, she could be seen with a purse, rings, necklaces. She then moved on to gloves and scarves. Yes, even in the summer. She has now discovered a world of possibilities with, what else, pipe cleaners. I will show you what she has come up with so far:

Sound check.

The Adoring Fans love a pose

Don't call me four eyes!

Someone is supplying her with these pipe cleaners since I don't have any at home. Who knows what she could come up with if she had an endless supply of these. Headbands? Scarves? Bathing suits? I will not be getting any pipe cleaners for her now that the thought has crossed my mind. It is only a matter of time before she tries it.

The Stairs-It's A Miracle-Pants

Yes, it is a funny title, but it sums up our family's weekend at Catalina. We went there so that I could run in the Catalina Marathon, which, for those of you who don't know, the main reason why I signed up was because it was a winter marathon on a Saturday that was close enough for us to go to, plus, I have a budding marine biologist who jumps at any chance to be near the ocean. I didn't look at the course profile until after I signed up. Gulp. A lot of hills. Oh well. I finally talked myself into it being like an upside down Grand Canyon.
One of Kevin's client's (who is in the opening credits to M*A*S*H. She is the blond nurse running toward the helicopter), her ex husband has a condo on Catalina and they generously let us stay there. It was so beautiful and away from the main part of Avalon, so we got around on a golf cart. The first time that we took it out for a spin, Kevin and I took Olivia and Blake. Olivia sat in the front seat next to Kevin and as soon as we started going, she sang "In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" over and over until we got to our destination. Who needs a radio when you've got Olivia? The trouble that I saw immediately with where we were staying was: the stairs. 51 to be exact. That's how many we had to climb to get in, and then once inside, there was a couple of steps going up and down in the condo to each room. I knew that I would be feeling it after I ran.
Chloe was our photographer, so all pictures that you may see are from her. Dillan was in heaven and wanted to be at the beach all day and checked on when the low tide would be so he could go in the tide pools to capture whatever he could get his paws on. Kevin went snorkeling and came within 20 feet of a sea lion. He said that it had a lot of brown teeth, so he hurried and got out of the water.
So here is the race report, which, the most interesting part was getting to the beginning. I was told to purchase my race day boat ticket because that was the ONLY way to get to Two Harbors on the other side of the island where the race started. I bought my ticket with my registration, planned to be there at 5 am for a 5 am departure time, and planned out when we were leaving the condo with Kevin and went to bed in my own bed (that's what serious athletes do. I guess. Or ones that will use any excuse to get a night of uninterrupted sleep). Kevin and I left at the previously determined time, and got to the dock at 5 am. Just in time to see the race day boat leaving the dock. I ran down to the end and started yelling "I'm still here!!!!!! You can't leave without me!!!!!!! That is the only way to get to the other side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Right then, another couple pulled up in the same predicament. I was told later by the fella that Kevin turned to him and said "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her to the starting line. She'll be too mad if she doesn't run." The Harbor Patrol officer came by. We asked him what to do and if he could help. He said we could try a taxi, but we already knew that they didn't open until 7 am because we had asked them on the first night we got there. We drove over to where the race planners were setting up the finish line and told a guy our troubles. He looked stunned that this could have happened and didn't have any idea what to do to get us over there. Kevin said that maybe he could call the race director and see what could be done. That's when he said he was the race director. We went over to the grocery store that had a couple of people in it getting ready for the day. Kevin asked them if they knew anyone with a boat. They looked at him like he had three heads and said "We aren't hoity toity people who have boats. We work in a grocery store." I told Kevin that I wanted him to pinch me because this was a nightmare and this kind of thing doesn't happen to me!!! I plan for things like this NOT to happen. Kevin thought we should go back to the Harbor Patrol and see if he knew ANYONE that had a boat to take me and the other two (BTW, the girl had a potty mouth and started swearing at people. I didn't think that it was a good time to tell her that she may get a better response if she acted like a lady instead of a sailor) to the other side. He called one person, but they couldn't, so he suggested that we find the sheriff to see what he could do. As we drove over there, I started praying as hard as I could that we would find a way. We saw the sheriff at a stop sign and told him what was going on. He said he didn't know anyone with a boat (who owns all those boats in the harbor????), but that he could see some people that looked like runners getting into a van a few houses behind him. How he even thought that these people looked like runners is beyond me because it was two ladies in there 50s that didn't look like they were in exceptional shape. We hurried over there and Kevin asked them where they were going. Two Harbors. Tears started welling up in my eyes. Kevin asked if I could hitch a ride. They said of course. I hugged everyone I could in that van. There was the couple and a woman and her two boys. Kevin gave the man some gas money which he tried to refuse, but I think at that point, Kevin was so relieved that I wouldn't be mad (not at him, of course, since I should have known better), that he insisted and told him gas was expensive. I have no idea how much he gave him. We had lost the other two a little while before, but Kevin (the do gooder that he is) tracked them down and was able to get them in the van as well. It turns out the driver was the community pastor and they were going to drive over the night before to take the two ladies to the starting line, but were unable, so them even being there at that time was a last minute thing. My prayer was answered. And, yes, Mom, I did thank my Heavenly Father that I was getting to the start. This meant that I got to drive through the interior. which was beautiful, and get a sneak peek at the course. Hilly. We got there in time to take a potty break and walk to the starting line and then start. The course is so amazingly beautiful. Waves crashing on the rocks below, wildflowers everywhere, green hills, a few buffalo, and ocean air. I knew by mile 10 that I would be doing it again and again because it was my kind of course. It really is like hiking the Grand Canyon, but there's more up than down and it's all mixed up. I was so grateful that I had hiked the GC so many times with Kevin because he flies down the trail, which is harder for me than going uphill, so I had enough experience of keeping up and not trying to put on the brakes that my downhill running didn't suffer. Plus, the aid stations were fully stocked with peanut M&Ms, Swedish Fish, pretzels, cookies, and Twizzlers. I told Chloe this and she said I should have taken my number off and gone back for more, and I told her it didn't matter! I could have had as much as I wanted, there was no limit to what I could take. She may sign up for the marathon next year. And then, as promised, the last three miles are at such a decline that you could roll down. It was super fun. I ran through the Botanical Gardens, which was funny, because all of the sudden you see beautifully manicured plants and shrubs that are identified, and it took me a second to figure out that I was in the Gardens. Kevin and the kids caught up to me with a couple of miles left to go while they were in the golf cart yelling words of encouragement like "Go faster, Mom!" and "He touched me!" and "Mom, I'm hungry". It was a glorious sight to see the finish line, and get my FINISHERs t shirt, pin, and medal. I loved it. And I am still sore from running and I can truly say it is my favorite course I have done.
We went to church the next day in the bank building, where the sacrament service was held in a small room. Our family made up 60% of the congregation. Dillan passed the sacrament. Olivia asked me where her Primary class was, and then during "Gospel Doctrine", she had ALL of the answers. Kevin kept giving me the eye to get her to stop raising her hand, and I tried to get her to tell me her answer first so I could screen it, but then she would change the answer she gave me. And, it is very funny when the prayer is being offered and the two year old goes to the bathroom and chooses that reverent time to flush the toilet.
I'm sure there is more to all of this that I can say, and if there is something that I forgot, I will put an addendum, because I know there are many of you anxiously awaiting this report. Thanks to all of those who cheered me on in your hearts. At one point during the race, I swear I heard someone say "Kim!" but then looked around and no one was there. I'm sure it was either my sister, Jen, giving me encouragement, or Emily yelling at me to keep running.
I almost forgot about the "Pants" part of the title! Blake discovered that he loved saying the word "pants", so if there was any break in the conversation or a dull moment he would say "pants" and it would put us all in to giggles. Then on the ride home, the kids were watching a Veggie Tales movie and a song about, of all things, Pants, comes on, and, well, you can imagine the laughter.

Just Married!

I know you have all been asking me "When do we get to see your wedding video? How come you haven't posted your wedding video?" All right, already. It's only been almost 16 years of bugging me, but I've FINALLY got it on DVD (thank you Costco!). Now for your viewing pleasure, four hours of our wedding day!!! All right, I decided to actually have people watch it, so I condensed it into a less than ten minute video. I apologize for the lengthy cake cutting, but I didn't edit very well, and the shot of me and Cathy outside in their backyard cutting our open house cake is in the middle, because, again, poor editing skills, but please notice the cake and cookies. The cookies had "Kevin and Kim" written on EACH one and were tied with a ribbon, and the cake! The cake was so beautiful and was made by Cathy's friend.

Now, some of you may be embarrassed at how silly you were (Jake and Adam), or how young Kevin looks, and how I STILL look the same. Ok, except for the fact that I stopped dying my hair brown and it is its natural shade of dark blonde with highlights and lowlights. I love the shot of my dad looking exhaustico. That shot should have been after my sister's wedding two months before when they put on a luau for her AND we had to go to Hawaii for her open house. That was exhausticating. The shot of my dad should have been jumping and shouting for joy that he had gotten rid of me! A special thank you to Uncle Bruce Merrill. The Merrill's may have a reputation for always having a camera or recording device handy, but I am so grateful to have this momentous day recorded forever. Let's hope I stay looking that young forever, too.

What It's Like to Live Here in January

I hesitiated putting this video on my blog because I didn't want to upset anyone that was living in a frozen tundra, but then I remembered that ALL of my followers live here, so I needn't worry about upsetting anyone. This video is from January 31st in Tempe Towne Lake, which is in Tempe, AZ about 20 minutes away from our home. I don't have it on this video, but I said that Dillan is not with us because he chose to have an Air Soft War with his friends instead of hanging out with us. Enjoy the show!

Happy President's Day!

This post should have happened yesterday, but we were celebrating too much yesterday and didn't have time. I assured my children that just because they had the day off of school, it did not mean that they had the day off of learning. I asked them to pick a president that they didn't know much about and to research that president and write a few paragraphs about their life and read it to me. Chloe chose William Taft. I don't know why either. She wrote out her three paragraphs and then ended it with "He was the Fattest President" just like that in multiple colors. She got an A+ for creativity. Dillan was not involved in this assignment as he was doing hard labor with his dad at different properties, so he did have the day off from formal education, not a day off from real life education. I asked Olivia which president she would like to research. She said that she wanted me to write down who her favorite presidents were and then she would decide. Here is the list: Abraham Lincoln (she already wrote something for school about him. It was the fact that his son died in the White House, and then he got shot in the head while he was watching a play. ), Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, and Barack Obama. I have no idea where she came up with those names, except the first and last one. We chose Andrew Jackson, because he is on the $20 bill. Later in the day, she went to gymnastics, where she comes easily to her, as she was somersaulting at age 2 and does a far better cartwheel than her 10 yr old sister. I told her how proud I was for her hard work and how when the coach would give her correction, she would try her hardest to do it. She said; "Thanks Mom for supporting me." Heaven help me.